Bird flu slowing down as temperatures rise

Officials says the spread of bird flu in Minnesota is slowing down. Dr. Dale Lauer of the Minnesota Poultry Testing Lab in Willmar says it’s been a couple weeks since a commercial turkey operation has been hit by H5N1.

Lauer says as the weather warms up and dries out, and the migration of wild birds who spread the flu ends, we should see continued slowing down of the outbreak. Lauer’s staff has been getting help from a USDA Emergency Response Team, but that will be ending soon.

Lauer says poultry operators who were hit are busy disinfecting their facilities and restocking. The bird flu this spring has affect 3 million birds at 81 sites in 25 counties in Minnesota. That compares to more than 9 million birds affected in the 2015 outbreak.

(JP Cola, KWLM)